A French court today cleared all six defendants of responsibility for a 1992 plane crash that killed 87 people near the eastern city of Strasbourg.
A long investigation failed to single out a particular reason why the Air Inter Airbus A320 crashed into a mountain as it approached Strasbourg airport on January 20th, 1992. Only nine people survived the crash.
The six defendants - a former air traffic controller; four former managers from the civil aviation authority; Air Inter and Airbus Industries; and a former Air Inter deputy director general - pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
They were accused of committing errors that might have affected the safety of the Airbus A320.
The court had to decide whether the possible reasons suggested for the crash were punishable by the penal code.
The investigation suggested a range of possible factors that might, together, explain what caused the crash. These included the quality of guidance the plane was given to direct it towards Strasbourg airport and the composition of the crew